My friend Jane & I ran the Leona Valley Trail Race 10k a few weeks ago. We both gave birth this past spring, and this was the first post-baby race for both of us. We made a point to tell all the aid station volunteers this info, so we’d get extra cheers and encouragement…yes, we are shameless!

We’d originally planned to do the half marathon distance, but the summer’s heat and the demands of family and work meant that we felt undertrained come race time, and we decided to drop down to the 10k instead. [I ran the half marathon course last year (while 12 weeks pregnant!) and you can see that recap here.] This turned out to be a great decision—I’m honestly not sure if I would have been able to handle a half marathon on that particular day.

Yes, I was the dork wearing a hydration vest at a 10k and no, it totally wasn’t necessary…but I was carrying snacks and cameras and phones for 2, and I prefer a half-full hydration vest to a stuffed waist pack.

I’ll be the first to admit my training was really sporadic going into the race. I’d run up to 6 miles, but my usual runs were 3-4 miles in length, often with a running stroller that slowed me down, and I only did that a few times a week. I figured the 10k was going to be fine because I could push through some discomfort, plus I knew Jane was cool with taking it slow and walking when necessary—we mostly just wanted to have fun and enjoy ourselves out on the beautiful trails.

Last weekend I returned to Leona Valley to run one of the Leona Valley trail races. This was the same setting where I ran the Leona Divide 50 Miler earlier this year, and that race—and the scenery—was such a pleasure I decided to go back for more. There were a number of different distances, but since I’ve been taking it easy in the training department, I decided to do the half marathon instead of the full enchilada. Result: a quick, fun little race that let me spend some good time on the trails without leaving me too sore, tired, or wiped out the rest of the weekend. Win!

No matter how many trail races I run, I still balk and complain about getting up early to drive to the race. I really, truly wish I was an early bird, but it’s just not in my nature, so I always stay up too late the night before and then suffer for it race morning. This was the situation I found myself in before the Harding Hustle, when I got up at the runner-unfriendly hour of 3:45 to get everything together, drive down the Orange County, park in the designated lot, then take a 20-minute shuttle to the start. (The start/finish had no available parking for runners.) It was kind of a production. I arrived about 5:55, a few minutes before the scheduled 6 am shuttle, so I was giving myself giant pats on the back for my excellent time management and driving skills as I settled in to wait for the shortly-arriving shuttle.

And waited. And waited. The shuttles were supposed to run every 15 minutes, but 6, then 6:15 came and went, without a shuttle in sight. Of course, my first thought is, “I could have slept in until 4:00! That would have been awesome.” But instead, I killed time taking awkward pictures of myself and my fellow runners:

Shadow of the Giants is usually the highlight of my spring racing season. It’s the race I return to year after year because of the atmosphere, the beautiful scenery, the saucy race director, and the chance to escape LA and play in one of the country’s most scenic areas. I was especially looking forward to it this year because my recent races have been going so well and I intended to try and break my recently-set 50k PR on the course.

But instead of coming on the blog to (modestly!) gloat about another awesome race, I instead have to type those three letters I’ve never written before: DNF. For the first time in my life, I didn’t finish a race, and to say I have mixed feelings about it is to put it mildly. But let me back up…

There’s no other way to say this: I had a fantastic time at the Whoo’s In El Moro 50k this past weekend! I tried to get in last year, but the entry field was so small it sold out before I had a chance to register. So I guess you could say I’ve been looking forward to this race for over a year. I wasn’t sure how I would do, since I haven’t exactly been taking it easy the past few weeks, but I ended up feeling really good and setting a Personal Record for the 50k distance. Plus, I was able to definitively answer this most important question:

My friend Jane & I ran the Leona Valley Trail Race 10k a few weeks ago. We both gave birth this past spring, and this was the first post-baby race for both of us. We made a point to tell all the aid station volunteers this info, so we’d get extra cheers and encouragement…yes, we are shameless!

We’d originally planned to do the half marathon distance, but the summer’s heat and the demands of family and work meant that we felt undertrained come race time, and we decided to drop down to the 10k instead. [I ran the half marathon course last year (while 12 weeks pregnant!) and you can see that recap here.] This turned out to be a great decision—I’m honestly not sure if I would have been able to handle a half marathon on that particular day.

Yes, I was the dork wearing a hydration vest at a 10k and no, it totally wasn’t necessary…but I was carrying snacks and cameras and phones for 2, and I prefer a half-full hydration vest to a stuffed waist pack.

I’ll be the first to admit my training was really sporadic going into the race. I’d run up to 6 miles, but my usual runs were 3-4 miles in length, often with a running stroller that slowed me down, and I only did that a few times a week. I figured the 10k was going to be fine because I could push through some discomfort, plus I knew Jane was cool with taking it slow and walking when necessary—we mostly just wanted to have fun and enjoy ourselves out on the beautiful trails.

Last weekend I returned to Leona Valley to run one of the Leona Valley trail races. This was the same setting where I ran the Leona Divide 50 Miler earlier this year, and that race—and the scenery—was such a pleasure I decided to go back for more. There were a number of different distances, but since I’ve been taking it easy in the training department, I decided to do the half marathon instead of the full enchilada. Result: a quick, fun little race that let me spend some good time on the trails without leaving me too sore, tired, or wiped out the rest of the weekend. Win!

No matter how many trail races I run, I still balk and complain about getting up early to drive to the race. I really, truly wish I was an early bird, but it’s just not in my nature, so I always stay up too late the night before and then suffer for it race morning. This was the situation I found myself in before the Harding Hustle, when I got up at the runner-unfriendly hour of 3:45 to get everything together, drive down the Orange County, park in the designated lot, then take a 20-minute shuttle to the start. (The start/finish had no available parking for runners.) It was kind of a production. I arrived about 5:55, a few minutes before the scheduled 6 am shuttle, so I was giving myself giant pats on the back for my excellent time management and driving skills as I settled in to wait for the shortly-arriving shuttle.

And waited. And waited. The shuttles were supposed to run every 15 minutes, but 6, then 6:15 came and went, without a shuttle in sight. Of course, my first thought is, “I could have slept in until 4:00! That would have been awesome.” But instead, I killed time taking awkward pictures of myself and my fellow runners:

Shadow of the Giants is usually the highlight of my spring racing season. It’s the race I return to year after year because of the atmosphere, the beautiful scenery, the saucy race director, and the chance to escape LA and play in one of the country’s most scenic areas. I was especially looking forward to it this year because my recent races have been going so well and I intended to try and break my recently-set 50k PR on the course.

But instead of coming on the blog to (modestly!) gloat about another awesome race, I instead have to type those three letters I’ve never written before: DNF. For the first time in my life, I didn’t finish a race, and to say I have mixed feelings about it is to put it mildly. But let me back up…

There’s no other way to say this: I had a fantastic time at the Whoo’s In El Moro 50k this past weekend! I tried to get in last year, but the entry field was so small it sold out before I had a chance to register. So I guess you could say I’ve been looking forward to this race for over a year. I wasn’t sure how I would do, since I haven’t exactly been taking it easy the past few weeks, but I ended up feeling really good and setting a Personal Record for the 50k distance. Plus, I was able to definitively answer this most important question: